Sattva: Issue 31 - The Diwali Edit
Dressing up, home decor, food, gifts and music!
Diwali is almost here and so is the Diwali Edit of 2022. I spent happy hours putting together this issue as a pre-Diwali gift for you. I hope you enjoy reading it and find it useful.
Table of contents
Dressing up for Diwali
The easiest way to be Diwali-ready, if you ask me, is to drape a Kanjivaram saree, put on a gajra and dab my favourite perfume. But there are quite a few trends that I’m loving these days, and who knows I might even try one out this Diwali.
Pair a silk, Banarasi or gota work lehenga or Indian handloom skirt with a white linen shirt or a satin blouse and a choker and maang teeka for a perfect Indo-Western fusion look.
A gold-tinged skirt or palazzo worn with a crop top and a long-line jacket
Colour blocking with a bright coloured saree and a contrasting equally bright long line shrug or jacket
I asked my friend, Puja Nadhani who is a designer, consulting stylist and mom of two, to give her tips on festive dressing. Here’s what she shares with us.
1. If heavy embroidery, brocade and weighty fabrics don’t fall in your comfort zone while performing puja or running errands, go for bright and bold colours like fuchsia, purples and reds. Colours will work their magic in your outfit.
2. To avoid shopping for too many outfits, buying separates in bold colours and pairing them creatively on different functions will give completely different looks on each occasion.
3. Another trick to make an outfit look completely different is draping your dupatta or a saree in a different than usual style. You could bunch up/fold the fabric or spread it while draping it depending on how much you want to show the drape.
4. If you like wearing simple clothes but want to look Diwali-ready, go heavy on the accessories. Stack up bangles, wear big earrings, and add some chunky neckwear or hair accessories. All this can make a simple outfit festive.
5. To create a striking look, you could wear a blingy outfit with matte accessories or vice versa. Play with contrasts.
Festive ingredients for Diwali
Look up easy-to-make Diwali recipes on my blog
Khoya – It is a shortcut ingredient to prepare any number of Indian sweets from barfis to Parsi mawa cake, but also adds a ‘shahi’ touch to gravies and patties. I’ll be sharing two delicious khoya recipes in my column in Mint Lounge this Saturday.
Makhana – Roast and use in savoury snacks, gravy dishes along with peas and kheer
Pomegranate pearls – Add pops of ruby red colour that give a festive touch to any dish. Use in salads, raitas, fruit salad / old-fashioned fruit custard.
Edible flowers – Flowers add prettiness wherever they are used and this includes your special festive dishes. Use as a garnish on almost anything as they add colour and not much of flavour. Petals of desi flowers like rose and marigold can also be strewn all over the table runner around the dishes to add to the beauty of the tablescape.
Dried rose petals – This is my favourite garnish on almost any dessert. Good quality dried rose petals have a delicate fragrance as well that enhances the eating experience.
Chopped pistachios – The fluorescent green of sliced pistachios makes for a beautiful contrast with the red of the rose petals or even by itself makes for a festive garnish on desserts.
Diwali ki Decor
Whether I dress myself up or not, I absolutely love dressing up my home for Diwali. Some of my festive decor favourites are:
Vintage brass, copper and bronze to keep diyas, candles, flowers
Fuchsias and reds for throws and cushion covers
Diyas and lanterns inside and outside the house
Desi flowers like marigold, roses, mogra and rajnigandha
Camphor and essential oils in diffusers
Just typing all this feels so heady and happy!
I recently stumbled upon Sonali Prasad’s Instagram and loved the vibes she creates using brass and flowers. There is something about the contrast between the hardness and everlasting nature of metal and the softness and short life of flowers that is so appealing to the senses.
Sonali is a self-taught fashion designer by profession and an Indian decor lover by passion. Here are some of the tips she shares with us for a rooted-in-tradition theme decor this Diwali.
Focus on adding colours and textures to corners. Use brass pots, pickle jars, antique silver or earthen diyas in decor with lots of flowers. Pull out the brass/pital dabba from your grandma's kitchen use it as a part of the decor. These not only create beautiful compositions but also make great conversation starters. The essence of ethnic decor is in its raw and rustic look.
The essential Diwali playlist
What’s a festival without music? If you want to create a festive ambience at home, be it for the puja or for your Diwali party, just hit play on my curated Spotify playlist. It’s got just the right raags and songs to make Diwali feel extra festive and auspicious, not to mention, make you come across as rather knowledgeable about Hindustani classical music (wink!).
You can also check out my house party playlist which is a work in progress with lofi and lighter versions of raag-based songs.
Diwali gifting guide
I’m sure none of our friends need any more boxes of sweets and dried fruit piled on them this festive season. While gifting is highly personal, here are some conscious, Sattva-style, gift ideas.
Please allow me to kick off this list with my brand-new offering, The Great Indian Thali – Seasonal Vegetarian Wholesomeness. My fourth and latest book published by Roli Books has 70 wholesome recipes picked from around the country, served in tune with the seasons. Colour photographs, seasonal playlists, seasonal menus and an incredibly stunning cover make it the perfect gift this festive season. I’ve been telling my friends to gift my book instead of a bottle of wine, which will be drunk and forgotten in one evening.
Here are my other Diwali gifting recommendations in alphabetical order.
Absolutely none of this is sponsored. None of these brands even know that I’m featuring them on my list.
You’ll love the items in the home décor and accessories section from Amala Earth not just for gifting but also to buy something for your home.
Check out the diya catalogue and the Diwali hampers from Amogh Trust, which is a skilling centre for adults with special needs, located in Bengaluru.
Choose from any of these festive gift packs from Biobasics, an organization committed to organic whole foods, consumer health, decent livelihoods for farmers and the preservation of our environment. You can also choose from their range of lesser-known varieties of rice.
My regular readers will know how much I love Ekam’s fragrance oils and candles. Their 3-wick candles make a beautiful gift. Temple bloom and Sandalwood sound perfect for Diwali.
I love the incense cones and havan cups from Nirmalaya. You can also check out their range of home fragrances.
Old Fashioned Gourmet is a small home-grown company that knows its pickles and spices as the heirloom recipes and techniques come from the late founder Smt. Shyamlata Sihare. I absolutely love their Aloo Dum masala and all of the pickles that I have tasted. The pickles come in reusable Mason jars, so that’s another plus.
P-TAL aims at reviving the dying craft form of the indigenous Thathera community of Jandiala Guru, Amritsar, who have the distinction of practising India’s only UNESCO-listed craft form. Check out these brass diyas or cheese platter that make for lovely festive gifts.
Pure and Sure is a brand I trust and love for its organic products. They can customize a Diwali gift box for you to fill with spice mixes or any other ingredients.
I’ve been a long-time user of Wild Ideas, be it their soaps, body wash powder or ready-to-fry elai vadams. The organization supports over 100 disadvantaged women from 15 villages around Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu. Their palm baskets are aesthetic and sustainable ways to pack your gifts.
Wishing you and your loved ones a very happy Deepavali.
Love, Nandita
Banner image: Ladies Playing with Fireworks, school of Mir Kalan Khan, Lucknow, circa 1780.
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I always love your newsletters, Nandita. Thanks for putting so much effort into creating it.
This is so useful! I always know more Indian brands when I read your newsletter. Thanks for this!